Photo: Episodic
Kelly Clarkson showed off some country twang in her voice as she covered a song by one of the genre’s most influential artists. Clarkson took the mic during the “Kellyoke” segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show, and the Texas native impressed her audience with a performance of “Smoky Mountain Rain” by country legend Ronnie Milsap. Milsap sings on the classic track:
“Smoky Mountain rain/ Keeps on falling/ I keep on calling her name/ Smoky Mountain rain/ I’ll keep on searching/ I can't go on hurting this way/ She's somewhere in the Smoky Mountain rain”
Clarkson often nods to some of country music’s most iconic artists, including Randy Travis, Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack and others. The award-winning, original American Idol is getting ready to release a six-track “Kellyoke” EP, which will include her own spins on “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt, “Call Out My Name” by The Weeknd, “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish, “Queen Of The Night” by Whitney Houston, “Trampoline by Shaed, and “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead.
“Music is in the DNA of everything I do, so when The Kelly Clarkson Show started we knew it was the perfect way to kick off every episode,” Clarkson previously said in a statement. “Over 500 songs later, and we’re still not running out of amazing artists to pay tribute to. Picking just six was near-impossible, but these songs have been some of my favorites. Thanks for singing along with me y’all!”
Watch Clarkson’s performance of Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain” here: